Effect of thermal treatment on the quality of Cretan honeys  [Thesis (M.Sc.)]

Blidi Slim

Effect of thermal treatment on the quality of Cretan honeys [Thesis (M.Sc.)]

2014

Blidi Slim

In the honey industry, thermal treatment is necessary in terms of reducing viscosity to facilitate the dosage and jar filling, to avoid post-bottling crystallization or to delay its appearance, and to destroy the micro-organisms which contaminate honey. Damage to honey quality and safety occur if the thermal treatment is not properly applied. Moisture, diastase activity and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content are widely recognized as reliable parameters for assessment of freshness and/or overheating of honey. The effect of thermal treatment is known to vary among honeys of different botanical origin. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thermal treatments and their prolongation on the herein above-mentioned honey parameters. For that purpose, thirteen Cretan honey samples from different botanical origins were tested under four thermal treatments varying in temperature and time. Then, the resulting enzymatic activity, moisture content and HMF were measured. No significant differentiation was observed in the behavior of the three main botanical groups in the considered parameters after the applied thermal procedures. The variation of the parameters was linearly related to the time of heating. On the other hand, heating at 45C for 48 hours affected the studied samples the most in all of the three parameters but none of the honeys went under the specified limits of the relative Greek and European legislation for honey.

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